The current invention is related to audio conferencing networks. More specifically, the invention is related to a voice quality monitoring device that provides real-time or near real-time statistics about per call quality statistics in an audio conferencing networks.
Audio conferencing network, i.e. conference calls let groups of people, from a few to hundreds, communicate by phone. Conference calls connect people through a conference bridge which is essentially a server that acts like a telephone and can answer multiple calls simultaneously. Software may play a large part in bridge's capabilities beyond simply connecting multiple callers. Businesses typically have a private exchange branch (PBX) within their offices. The PBX is a switched network of telephone connections inside the office. Each phone coupled to a PBX has an extension, and multiple phones share lines to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) outside the office.
Conference calls play a significant role in today's business life. In conference calls, where some users share a common conference room, while others are at remote locations, the voice quality from users speaking in the conference room is often poor when using a standard conference phone with a hands free feature. This is also true when using a speaker phone from a home office, automobile or commercial office. Also, several states (such as California) are required to use hands free headsets or handsfree kits, etc. for their cellular telephones. This can interfere with the sound quality and background noise quite a bit. Sound quality impairments include background noise, acoustic echoes, air interface delays from cell phones, etc. IP phones have the added quality impairments that include packetization delay and hybrid echo delay.
When voice quality is impaired, customers often blame the carrier. Recent studies indicate that customers experiencing at least one voice quality control problem are three times more like to say they will switch carriers in the future. Carriers, vendors service providers, etc. can benefit greatly from the comprehensive ability to measure voice quality, identify impairments, and mitigate the impact the impact on impairment rates.
However, there is currently no method or device that presents the real-time or near real-time voice quality statistics of the calls to the attendees, operators or moderators that are external to the audio conferencing network. Thus, a method and device are needed which can measure the voice quality of call and exchange that information with an application server in a real-time manner. The application server, in turn, will present the voice quality statistics of the audio conferencing network call impairments that originate both internally and externally of the audio conferencing network in real-time or near real-time to the operator, moderator, customer or API through an interface.